7pm Thursday, March 9, 2006 Auckland

We woke up around 7:30am (we’re early risers) and showered, then made a mad dash for the 9am sailing of the Waiheke ferry. My legs seized up about three blocks from the ferry terminal. I was in so much pain that we had to stop and wait for a few minutes for the pain to abate. Then we went across the street to Starbucks for coffee and a muffin.

We made the 10am sailing. It was full of school kids in green and yellow school uniforms who were heading to Waiheke on a field trip. They were quite well behaved, and both Mom and I reflected that if the ferry had been full of Canadian school kids they would have been running around like mad things being as loud and obnoxious as possible.

We picked up a rental car on Waiheke Island and started driving for Oneroa, a beach community just east of the ferry terminal. We passed through Oneroa without realizing it, and found ourselves heading to Ostend.Before we knew it we had passed through Ostend and were on our way to Te Whau Point and Rocky Bay. When we reached the end of the road we were very confused, but luckily there was a winery there so we popped in for a tasting and a chance to figure out where the hell we were.

The view from Te Whau vineyard:


Normally, Mom would be a very good navigator. Unfortunately the maps we had were tiny and Mom was having trouble reading the print. Also, we could only read about half of the road signs because most were buried in bushes. It didn’t help, either, that each road had two or more names. For example, Ocean View Road becomes Sunnydale Road, which becomes Miami Avenue, which becomes Mitchell Road, which becomes Causeway Road, which becomes Belgum Street, which becomes Ostend Road. Add to that my unfamiliarity with driving on the left side of the road, and it was a recipe for getting lost.

The winery was a bit of a disappointment. You had to pay $3 per tasting, and both of the two reds that I tasted were extremely dry and didn’t have the fruity nose and bold taste that I normally associate with reds. The only lingering taste was the alcohol and some bitter tannins. I hope the wines in Napier – New Zealand’s wine country – are better.

From Te Whau we drove down Onetangi Road to Orapiu Road, then Waiheke Road to Man O’ War Bay Road. That’s when the nice tar road stopped and the red gravel road started. We took Man O’ War Bay Road through some really fantastic farmland. The road was quite challenging to drive because it was narrow, you were either driving on washboard or slippery gravel, and there were quite a few blind corners.

The red gravel road to Stony Batter Park:


We were relieved to arrive at Stony Batter Park, which was the location of a gun emplacement during WWII. The interconnected tunnels under the hillside are the highlight of the site but neither Mom nor I were interested in walking around in dark tunnels. Instead we walked 1km through a farm field, dodging the large cow patties and what looked like small piles of Glossettes, but were in fact piles of sheep poop. We ended up on a grassy bluff overlooking Hook’s Bay and Thumb Point. I would have liked to walk to Thumb Point but it was only accessible via private land.

The view of Hook's Bay and Thumb Point:


The hike back to the car was a killer and I had to stop several times to let the pain subside in my legs. The trip was worth the pain, though. When we got back to the car we drove back along Man O’ War Bay Road, Cowes Bay Road, and Orapiu Road then took Waiheke Road back to Onetangi. By then Mom was getting used to the map and the crazy roadways so she managed to navigate us along Onetangi Beach to Palm Beach, then to Oneroa. We found a car park in Oneroa – which seemed like a miracle because it was the only parking area we’d seen on the island – and went to a café called Salvage where we shared a pizza and I enjoyed a much-deserved beer.

Along Cowes Bay Road:


I didn’t want to go back to the ferry terminal after dinner so we drove from Oneroa to Blackpool Beach, a stony beach directly south of Oneroa. I wanted to go there to see the beach, but I was also curious to see the marae located just off The Esplanade. When we arrived there was a ceremony going on so we just admired the carved entry before heading back to the car and the trip back to the ferry.

We were so knackered that we caught a cab from the ferry terminal back to the hostel. (It’s a 45-minute walk, all uphill.) Tonight we will pack and get to bed early because we’re catching the bus from Auckland to New Plymouth tomorrow at 7:30am. It’s a 7-hour trip but at the end of the trip will be a warm welcome from Bruce’s family. (Bruce is my brother-in-law.) We’re staying with Bruce’s sister Joy and her husband Brian on their sheep farm the first night. After that we’re staying with Bruce’s sister Christine and her husband Peter.

I think that Joy is going to show us around the farm and then take us to Dawson Falls on Saturday. Saturday night is my birthday and I think we’re going out for dinner. Sunday is Taranaki Day and there will be a big parade and celebration. Should be fun!!